Pipe fined by Jockey Club
Martin Pipe has been fined £7,500 (€10,900) by the disciplinary panel of the Jockey Club today after refusing to allow Tanterari into the dope-testing box at Haydock last week.
The champion trainer was also warned that any repeat of the offence could result in the suspension of his training licence.
Pipe apologised to the panel for the incident and that apology was accepted.
Following last Thursday's incident, Pipe spoke of his fears over the risk of horses picking up infections in the sampling unit.
It was the third time that Pipe had refused permission for his horses to go into the box.
On the previous occasions, the horses were tested in the racecourse stables, but the trainer was sent a letter by officials at Shaftesbury Avenue at the beginning of last week warning that a continuation of the policy would result in further action.
Today's inquiry comes only a week after Pipe failed to overturn the fines imposed on himself and jockey Jamie Moore over the running and riding of Celtic Son at Exeter last October.
On that occasion Pipe was hit with a £3,000 (€4,300) fine and Moore was suspended for 21 days, with star hurdler Celtic Son banned from running for 40 days.
Moore was penalised under the non-trier rule, with Pipe’s offence covering the instructions he gave.
The panel today had considered that in a case of this nature a suitable penalty would be to invoke Rule 2(ii) and refuse to accept entries and allow horses to run for a period of time and impose a financial penalty.
However, it accepted the apology from Pipe for his actions and an assurance that all his future runners would be allowed into the sampling unit if selected for an examination.
